SpaRitual versus OPI- The Ultimate Showdown
What do you look for in nail polishes?
Do you want a polish that lasts a long time? Do ingredients concern you? How about the shape of the bottle or the brush? The actual polish consistency? Company policies? Range of colors available? Availability?
There are lots of things to consider. I personally have a collection of over 50 polishes. Admittedly they are all OPI.
But I blame that on lack of exposure to other lines through the early years of my esthetic carreer. It’s everyone elses fault but mine.
So let’s take our criteria and take a look at the differences in these two polish brands.
Ingredients:
The big concern with polishes for a while is called The Big Three: Toulene, Formaldehyde and DBP (dibutyl phthalate).
OPI: In 2006 OPI reformulated and removed Toulene and DBP from all of their products. Their nail polishes and treatments have never contained Formaldehyde. If you flip your bottles over you’ll notice that the black labels are the older formulations, while the green ones are the newer reformulated ones. Some of the hardeners may contain trace amounts of formaldehyde, but they also have alternatives. The amount of the formaldehyde is 4 times lower that the amount deemed safe by the FDA. So there would be less in your nail products than, say, your counter tops, couch, car, wallpaper and carpet.
SpaRitual: From the beginning SpaRitual has never used any of those three ingredients. On top of that they also use naturally derived colors and are free of synthetic dyes. They use vegan ingredients from around the world so you can feel good about the product
Company Philosophy
OPI: OPI really markets itself as THE spa/salon brand of polish. They talk a lot about innovation, quality and scientific research. They do have a section on their website devoted how they donate to charities and are striving to reduce their impact on the environment. You can see their policies here. It talks about the steps they plan to take, but doesn’t really list what they are actually doing. But they don’t test on animals! So yay!
SpaRitual: Very transparent with their environmental efforts. All natural ingredients are organic or wildcrafted. Again, free of syntetic dyes. Their polish bottles are crafted in Italy with from re-usable glass and up to 50% recycled materials. They are very focused on the experience and enlightenment of the user.
Range of Colors
OPI: I can’t find an exact list, but it feels like hundreds. There’s probably about 120 available at any given time. 4 times a year they release a new collection of 12 colors, as well as the occaisional lauch of some smaller groups. They pretty much have one of the largest ranges available. If you can think of a color, they probably have it or will shortly.
They also have the mini bottles! These are great, because who actually ever gets through a whole bottle?
They will randomly discontinue colors as well. Those are usually rereleased at a later date, slightly different and under a different hilarious name. Sneaky buggers.
SpaRitual: They have about 80 colors, and do a couple of themed launches a year. I have to say, whenever we get orders for a group of SpaRitual colors I am always amazed at how gorgeous they are. Shimmering, deep and complex they are absolutely beautiful.
Bottle and brush shape:
Keep in mind this coming from a professional stand point, where we hold the bottle in our hand for the entire application. Also the brush shape is impotant to us. It’s got to hold the right amount of product for an even application in as few strokes as possible.
OPI: I have used these bottles for years. Every spa I’ve worked in has used OPI. The shape of the bottle is extremely comfortable in the palm and easy to hold on to for awhile. I personally like the height.
The Pro-Wide Brush. All newer bottles of OPI have the prowide brush. And it’s awesome. The flat, wide shape makes it easy to cover the nail in the least amount of strokes. The exact right amount of polish is picked up.
SpaRitual: The bottle is shorter and rounder than the OPI. So there’s still lots of grip. The cap has a neat rubberized finish which means no slip!
The brush is quite small, so it does take a few more stokes to cover the nail which can result in streaking.
Polish Consistency and Wear
The thickness is pretty much the same for both of them, so they apply nicely and set (not dry) fairly quickly. Wear really depends on how the nail is prepped. If you remove any oils on the nail, use a good base coat and top coat, you should get a week out of a maniucre and a month out of a pedicure. This is barring doing anything that compromises quality: chemicals or abrasives on the dried polish application, using polish thinner, or getting the product on the skin. Sparkles make polish last longer!
Availability
OPI is probably the most widely available in spas, but SpaRitual is becoming much more common. But we’re online! So both are easily accessible. You have no excuse.
And the winner is…..
I can’t decide cause I’m flaky and easily seduced.
Both are great quality, both have beautiful colors and both are available. I really think it should come down to which individual color appeals to you.
I feel really confident using either line, but am more obsessed with the SpaRitual colors at this point. Let me know what you think!
Visit www.spaboutique.ca to see our full range of OPI and SpaRitual products for the hands, feet and body. They are both 20% off until May 31st. Don’t miss out!
Tags: manicures, nail polish, nail polish tips, opi, pedicures, Spa Ritual, SpaRitual
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8:15 am on May 29th, 2009
Thank you very much for the great post. It was very helpful / informative. Keep it up!
1:20 pm on June 1st, 2009
You are very welcome. Thank YOU for reading!